Five Nights at Freddy's 3: One Last Tear
by Freelancer Josiah
Summary: "It's been six years since the last incident. During that time, he took everything from me, and left me with nothing. Now, I'm here to close the curtain on this sordid story... Whether I walk out or not." Alex Redding enters Fazbear's Fright to confront his old nemesis once more... And this time, it's unsure if either will survive. Part of the Alex Redding universe.
1. Prologue: Welcome to Fazbear's Fright

Here we go, folks. The third of Alex Redding's 'official' adventures... And probably the darkest one he'll have to face.

Bit of a warning for you all; this is gonna get grim, and very possibly painful to read. If you wanted Alex Redding's adventures to end with a happy ending, then my advice would be to either ignore that this story exists... Or hope that I can work a happy ending into FNAF 4's story. This was gonna be the unofficial end for Alex's adventures, and I'm sticking to the outline that I'd made for FNAF 3's story, so bear that in mind.

Regardless, hold on tight. This is gonna be dark, folks. Welcome to One Last Tear.

* * *

 _Six years after the shutdown of Fazbear Entertainment…_

The rain fell around me as I checked my watch once more. 11:50 PM; almost time for the show to begin. I looked up at the structure and sighed… "Fazbear's Fright – The Horror Attraction!" Oh, how I wished that it was just a simple horror sideshow based on the incidents that the company had been responsible for…

But as I checked over my notes once again, I realized there was only one explanation. An old nemesis had managed to crawl out once again, and he personally had decided to take me on. That was the only explanation for what had happened in the six long, painful years since the company had shut down… The six years since I'd thrown him into a wood chipper and thought it finished.

But no. He had to come back. He always does. And, as I looked over the building, I understood; there was a special place for him, one where he could be locked away and ignored. If only that was true…

I took a long drag from my cigarette, flicked it aside, and looked down at the photograph in my hand. My friends, my family… It had all started so long ago, only six months after the trial ended. I focused my attention, pocketing the photo once more and sighing. It had all started with one incident, one that seemed harmless enough at first… How were we to know that it would end that way? How was I to know what had really happened?

I clenched my fist, willing the tears not to fall. Not now. Not while the one responsible still roamed.

My other pocket held a note, delivered to my door roughly two weeks ago. In stunted, cut-and-pasted text, it told me everything I already knew and challenged me to come here for a final confrontation. "We shall see who truly is the better" indeed.

He didn't realize that he was fighting a man with nothing left to lose. I checked over my equipment; twin old, beat up, scratched machetes. I knew they were sharp, I'd made sure to get them to a razor edge before coming out. On my back, I had a lever-action shotgun mounted; I didn't know if I'd need it, but its weight comforted me, in a way. My trusty revolvers, one on each hip; they'd served me well, and I was going to press them into service once more. My taser was at my belt, within easy reach… As well as my batons, just in case.

My phone buzzed, and I picked it up. "Redding."

The voice on the other end was calm, but I could sense that it was worried. It asked me once more if I wanted to follow through with this.

"You know the answer already. This is personal."

A sigh from the line, then a report. Everything was prepared the way I'd asked it to be.

"Thanks. Guess this is the end of the line. Take care of yourself."

He tried to protest, but I cut it off with a sharp jab on the 'hang up' button, before tossing the phone back into my truck and closing it up. 11:58, almost time for the show to begin.

I couldn't help but smirk, memories of the very first incident going through my head. Settling down in the security office, preparing for whatever would come, and deciding that I had nothing to lose. That had begun the road I had followed to this point, where once more I stood outside, armed to the teeth, and with nothing left to lose.

The lights flickered on as the clock struck midnight, and I heard the doors unlocking. My jacket waving behind me, I entered the horror attraction and immediately stepped around the corner into the current security office, taking in the mess. There were a few salvaged pieces around, including some donations from the 'Toy' series; they'd moved on, and were trying to make better lives for themselves. Last I heard, they were helping with sentience research a few states over. I hadn't bothered to tell them my plans.

There were several other artifacts, many of which I recognized from my tenures as the night guard for the previous pizzeria locations. I even smirked as I honked the Freddy poster's nose once more, before glancing around. I lit up another cigarette and checked over the cameras – know your environment, and all that. I scrolled through them, committing the layout to memory before closing it up.

Time ticked by slowly, giving me ample opportunity to remember the long path that had taken me from triumphant hero to washed up ex-PI with nothing to lose. It was painful, and hard, but I had a feeling I'd be exploring it in depth by the time this night ended. I checked one last pocket for my secret weapon; if nothing else, I had to make sure I deployed it before it ended.

I snorted slightly, finishing my cigarette and stomping it out before grasping my machetes and drawing them both. I could feel it; my instincts were screaming at me that the show had just begun, and the faint hissing from the ventilation system seemed to voice that opinion as well. I chuckled softly as one last thing crossed through my mind, one last point where this time was different than the other two.

I had very little intel, but that happened on my first two adventures as well. I had no backup for whatever unknowns I was facing, but that had happened – at least to start with – both times. This time, there was a key difference; while the last two times I was fighting for my own survival…

This time, I had no escape planned. I had no fallback, no backup, no cavalry to ride in and save me. It was a suicide mission and I knew it, but…

This scumbag stole everything from me. I didn't have anything to go home to, so I didn't care if I walked out or not. One way or another, though… This ended. Tonight.

* * *

Read and review, folks. The story has just begun.


	2. Chapter 1: Mangled Memories & Psychosis

Sorry about the delays, folks. Been busy with a bunch of assorted things, as well as flat-out laziness regarding my writing... Apparently hearing that Scott was releasing FNAF 4 early was enough to get me back into this. Though I doubt I'll get it done before 4's release... I honestly don't mind, because again - 4's story is only gonna come out once 4 has had a thorough shakedown by the fans. Regardless, I'm sorry for all the delays and I'm hoping to get this done relatively soon.

Thank you all for sticking with me through this. Now, on with the first fight scene... And we learn a bit about our adversary's plans for Alex...

* * *

The clock had hit midnight just a few minutes ago, and suddenly I heard a noise that threw me back in memory again, to my first night at the original pizzeria… The phone ringing. I glanced over to it, waiting patiently… Maybe someone was calling to try and get me to leave? It flicked over, and I groaned; another message. I listened through it – apparently the guys running this new place had 'found' the animatronic that now wandered these halls during their search for more things to add to the location, and had turned up… Tapes? Training tapes?

I listened for a moment more, hand on my revolver, my curiosity piqued for the moment… Before the Phone Guy's voice came over the line. _"Oh, Hello! Hello, hello! Uh, welcome to your new career as a perfomer/entertainer, for Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Uh, these tapes will provide you, with much needed information on how to handle/climb into/climb out of, mascot costumes. Right now, we have 2 specially designed suits, that double as both animatronic-"_ BLAM.

I quickly swapped the used bullet from my revolver out with a fresh round and shook my head, re-holstering the gun and looking at the shattered remnants of the phone. I wasn't interested in mysteries this time, especially not regarding more mascot costumes. Fazbear Entertainment was gone, and I had one priority while I was here… Speaking of which, where was he?

My answer came as a booming voice came over the place's intercom. "Well, well, well… Glad you could make it, Mr. Redding… Although I don't appreciate you damaging the property. Do you know how long it took to pull the strings needed to make this place?"

Golden Freddy's voice. I recognized it anywhere. Except this time, it sounded more… Distorted, almost as if he was breathing heavily… I shook it off, deciding to think about it after I'd wrecked him one more time. He continued. "Ah, but I suppose that's not the point, now is it? After all, my machinations have brought you all the way here… And without even your police friend to support you! For shame, Mr. Redding… You should know I always have a backup plan."

I grit my teeth, brandishing a machete at what I could only think was a camera in the security room itself. "Alright you walking hunk of psychotic scrap metal, stop screwing around and let's finish this." I shouted my challenge, looking around the room and even stepping out to the hall. "Come on! You wanted me to come here, and I'm here. Let's go if we're gonna go!"

The voice boomed out laughter, filling the building. "Ah, but Mr. Redding… What would be the fun in that? You took away my Joy of Creation… You destroyed that infernal Puppet and then me… You framed my Withers for murder, even!" I froze at that, remembering what I'd done at the end of the last incident… "Oh yes, Mr. Redding… I know what REALLY happened. Did you honestly think that your story about using the robots as extra muscle and them disobeying your commands would hold up? I'm surprised more news networks haven't tried to expose you for what you are; a murderer who took justice into his own hands instead of letting the very system he believed in handle it…"

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear it. Golden Freddy was clearly just trying to get in my head, get me off my guard… But somehow, it was working. I felt oddly lightheaded, like something was wrong… As I staggered faintly, leaning against the wall to clear my head, his laughter returned.

"Feeling a bit off, Mr. Redding? Perhaps I should reveal what I've been up to in the six long, painful years since you threw me into that machine… In addition to organizing this charming little 'horror attraction', I was able to develop an interesting concoction… Call it a psychosis agent; it intensifies the fear centers in the brain while also altering the chemicals in other regions, thus causing schizophrenia-type behaviors, hallucinations, and possibly even more…" He laughed again, and I felt something cold slipping into my veins. "It certainly was enough to trick… Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself! One thing at a time, eh?"

I swallowed hard, shaking my head and trying to clear it. If what he was saying was true, then I was in up to my eyeballs. "For a man such as you, Mr. Redding… A man who has lost everything, and clearly blames himself for it – don't try to hide your alcoholism and emotional trauma, Mr. Redding, I've stayed well abreast of your situation – this gas will take all those little fears and doubts… And amplify them tenfold. I look forward to seeing the result." He chuckled once more, the malice in his voice clear. "Best of luck to you, Mr. Redding… And remember; it's all in your mind… Or is it?" He laughed once more, before the intercom clicked off.

I shuddered, eyes wide as I looked around, heart racing in my chest. Whatever this 'fear gas' of his was doing, it was clearly pumping through the ventilation system… I rushed over to the control panels, trying to find some way to shut the ventilation system down… No luck. It was all on its own circuit, all I could do was reboot the system… I made a mental note; perhaps that would get some fresh air in to circulate out the gas. It was my best chance, especially if I was attacked by…

My thoughts wandered off as I glanced at the cameras, eyes widening as I saw something. The Marionette, floating in a hallway… Followed closely by the Mangle. My mind clouded slightly as memory took over...

 _It was roughly a year after the Toy Incident, and I was talking to the redubbed 'Second Generations'. They'd apparently found an old location for one of Freddy Fazbear's competitors; a burger joint called… "Candy's Burgers and Fries? Seriously, guys?" Fred nodded, a grin on his face._

" _Exactly! Apparently they were a competitor of Freddy Fazbear's, however they got their animatronics from a different source – Uncanny Valley Robotics! We're planning to check them out, see if there are any similarities between Uncanny Valley robots and our own endoskeletons. We'd love to have you along!" He seemed so excited about the idea of other animatronics; apparently their research into AI had them chasing down every lead they could._

 _I thought about it for a moment, before shaking my head. "Sorry guys, but I'll pass. No offense, but I think I've had enough scrapes with new and unpredictable animatronics to suit me for a long time. Call me if something comes up, though; curious to see what you'll find!"_

 _They looked disappointed, but nodded and collected themselves. "I… See. Well, Mr. Redding? I'll make sure you're the first to know what we find over there." He put a hand forward and I met it in a firm shake. I thought they'd be out a day, maybe two… But in reality it was a week, and when they came back every report they had was immediately put into Top Secret and blocked from anyone not 'in the know'. Even I was only able to gather one thing… Apparently Golden Mile wasn't the only group to have defective animatronics._

 _We'd fallen a bit out of touch since then, only seeing each other in the aftermath of… Those incidents. They didn't know what I was up to…_

And yet somehow, I found myself staring at a VERY worn and desiccated Mangle, as well as the Marionette standing in the background. Black streaks, looking like burned and brutalized marks on their 'suits', lined hem… And their eyes glowed an unsettling white. I readied my machetes, figuring my first 'challenge' had just found its way to me. Mangle and the Puppet stayed back, and I waited for them to make the first move…

Mangle charged me, assorted limbs flailing as she leaped towards me, jaws wide and dripping blood. I ducked, threw an upwards slash that caught along a few bundles of assorted pipe-limbs, sending her clattering to the ground. I immediately spun to look at the Marionette, just in time for it to throw a long, slender limb around my throat and began to squeeze.

" _ **YOU DID THISSSSSSS…**_ " It hissed out in a hellish tone. I jabbed upwards with a blade, chopping its limb off and allowing me to breathe long enough to charge it, shoulder-ramming the gangly bugger against the wall. I raised a machete, prepared to drive it through that burnt mask…

And got tackled in the side by the Mangle, pipe-limbs flailing and creaking as it began to claw at my coat, my shirt… I felt a claw digging into bare flesh before I fished out my lever-action shotgun, shoving it into the animatronic's maw, and squeezing the trigger. The blast carried it off of me, leaving a sizable hole in its primary head, the other one turning to hiss at me.

" _ **H-HAD YOU COME WITH USSSSSS… YOU WOULD HAVE FOUND HIM SSSSOONERRRRRR…**_ " I froze. The thing had just vocalized one of my fears; that had I gone with them to Candy's, I would have found something – anything – that would have pointed Golden Freddy's survival out… And, considering the fact I heard mention of a second Marionette somewhere in Candy's assorted hard drives, it was something I'd thought many a time. I wavered…

And found myself pinned to the wall by the Marionette. A loud, static-filled squealing filled my ears as well as the Mangle positioned itself above me, preparing to swing down and take a bite out of my skull – before I headbutted forwards, driving my forehead into the puppet's mask and getting it away from me. I reached up, throwing the Mangle into the Marionette with one quick movement. They bowled over and landed in the office, upturning the box of assorted 'relics' and scattering them everywhere.

I didn't waste time, stepping over and grasping the Marionette by its slender 'neck'. "It… Wasn't… My… FAULT!" I threw it into the wall, smashing its face even more and following it by a stab of the machete, jamming into its 'skull' and pinning it to the wall. I took my second blade in my right hand, pulling my revolver with my left just as Mangle got back up and hissed at me.

I gave her something to hiss about as I opened up with the magnum, sending heavy slugs into its assorted limbs, one after the other. "I-" BLAM. "Couldn't-" BLAM. "KNOW!" BLAM BLAM BLAM BLAM. I emptied the gun into it, sending it writhing away… "I had no way of knowing what you'd find. Don't blame this on ME!" With that, I raised my machete high, and brought it down towards the Mangle's head –

And the blade impacted nothing but the tile flooring. My eyes widened and I immediately looked around, wary for any further attacks from the Mangle… Nothing. It was gone. I turned to where I'd pinned the Marionette…

It was gone as well, just leaving my blade pinned into the wall. At that point I looked around, seeing that the overturned box of 'relics' was in the same spot I'd found it, and the only changes to this room were the six new bullet holes in the wall… And I remembered what Golden Freddy said.

"…All in your mind…"

I shuddered. Whatever his toxin had done, it was making me hallucinate, see desiccated remains of my old friends… I shook my head slightly, taking a deep breath and slowly letting it out, before punching a button on the security console and resetting the ventilation. I got a few gulps of fresh air in the room, helping to clear my head as I looked around… And sighed.

Apparently, Golden Freddy had decided to make this little adventure all about my own psychoses instead of his personal attacks. His form of 'poetic justice', I'm sure; instead of fighting me normally – a battle he'd lost twice before – he decided to use these hallucinations to make me doubt what I was seeing, doubt my own drive and willpower, and sap my abilities and strength fighting nothing but ghosts. I rose to my feet… Before hissing sharply as I felt a pain stabbing through my chest.

I knew what it was, it was only logical. The adrenaline was coursing through my body, my heart was racing… I'd heard of people being literally 'scared to death' before. That had to be Golden Freddy's plan; either terrify me to the point of me getting myself killed, or send me into cardiac arrest from the terror he was unfolding. Guess there's not many choices in this matter…

I shook it off, reloading my revolver and recovering my machete. By now he'd locked up the exits and had me right where he wanted me… The trick was, he didn't know all the tricks I had up my sleeve. I'd come prepared for this fight…

All that was left was to survive long enough to finish it.

* * *

Seems like Golden Freddy's got some new plans for Alex this time... Hope he's up to the task!

Read and review, folks!


	3. Chapter 2: Memories Flying by Balloon

There will come a day that I upload chapters in a timely fashion... BUT IT IS NOT THIS DAY.

Yes, I know. Been ages since a new chapter. And I know this one's pretty lackluster compared to the others, but I figured I'd kept you guys waiting long enough for the story to continue. Hopefully I'll be able to get on a routine of writing sometime, because I really want to see this project through to the end.

Anyway, I don't have too much to say here, just... Again, thanks for sticking around through all of the delays and all of my screwing around and wasting time. I owe you all big time for keeping my attention at least somewhat focused on this.

Anyway, enough of my chatter. On with the show!

* * *

I sighed and shook off the jitters I was currently feeling. I knew that Golden Freddy was watching me, he had to be. The bugger was probably getting a good laugh at my expense to boot as I managed to catch my breath, cycling the ventilation system once more before turning my attention to the cameras. I flicked through the screens once more, trying to figure out where he was…

And I froze, catching sight of him near the far end of the place. It had to be him… But different. This wasn't the Golden Freddy I was used to seeing, not by a long shot.

The suit was ragged, looking like it had picked a fight with – ironically – a wood chipper and lost, with massive pieces and tears running through it, much of the detailing of the body lost. But… It looked like it had simply rotted away in many places. And moreover, it wasn't a Golden Freddy suit. I shuddered as a memory came to my head, realizing…

This could only really be one suit. Springy, or as the animatronic later became known… Spring Bonnie. And then from the speakers, I heard that hissing laughter once more. "Heh heh heh… Hello there, Mr. Redding. Like my new look?" He chuckled darkly. "Well, I suppose I can't exactly call it 'new'… Or really 'mine', either. Always good, finding salvage from when Fazbear Entertainment shut down…" He took on an oddly contemplative pose. "However, I don't think 'Golden Freddy' seems to fit me anymore… Neither does 'Spring Bonnie', really." He nodded after a moment, staring into the camera with faintly glowing eyes. "Ah, I know… Take the first part of this suit's name, combine it with why I took it…" He grinned menacingly.

"Springtrap. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" With that, the cameras cut to static… And I heard a giggling sound, the camera flashing to Balloon Boy's face in the camera. I flicked it down…

Just in time for the blasted kid to jump at me, looking burned and mangled in the same way that Mangle and the Marionette did. I jumped to the side, and tugged my blades out once more – real or hallucination, I'd have to deal with this kid. His face seemed to shimmer for a moment, however… And was replaced with the face of Mr. Faz. I staggered a moment, leaning against the wall as memories consumed me…

 _About a month had passed since the Toy band returned from Candy's investigating, and Faz had apparently not been doing well in the aftermath. According to him, he'd known there was something bad at the place and had tried to warn the others away from going there… Ever since they got back with their report, he'd seemed to be nervous. Looking over his shoulder, watching his back, becoming somewhat reclusive to the public. I'd dealt with it for a while, simply because I was busy – constantly being dragged to something or other so the mayor could get his fame with the 'city's heroes', crap like that. I'd been meaning to try and talk to him, and finally I had a chance. He wasn't answering his phone, so I drove over to his place._

 _I'd walked up to the door and knocked, calling his name before checking the knob. It was unlocked – a common occurrence, now that he was no longer getting as much hate or threats. I let myself in, and began looking around the place… It seemed eerily quiet. Faz wasn't one for silence; he usually had at least the radio playing in the background, or the television running, or something… Being alone, with no sign of him was… For lack of a better term, creepy. I decided to track him down, and fast._

 _I started exploring, deciding to work from the second floor down. When I got to the second story, I had my second major surprise – the place looked almost abandoned! Clothing and supplies were missing, along with several mementos, including the group photo that we'd gotten shortly after the Drone Incident, standing outside of my new home. With that missing, I knew there was something wrong… Badly wrong. I searched the second floor, and found a folder labelled 'R-A-T'. Grabbing it, I headed downstairs and set it on the table… Before catching sight of a note on the refrigerator. It was addressed to me, and I recognized Faz's handwriting._

' _Alex,_

 _If you're reading this, chances are you've managed to get away from being an icon long enough to come over and try to figure out what's been bothering me. And knowing you, you've either found or will find the RAT folder I left behind. Of course, you'll also have figured out by now that I've left the house, and have no plans on returning anytime soon._

 _I'm sure you have a lot of questions, my friend. I wish I could have explained my concerns in person, however it simply did not work out in that way and I was forced to accelerate my own decisions. Alex, I'm going underground. As of writing this, a taxi cab is waiting to take me out of the city and somewhere far away, where I will be hiding for the immediate future until this last 'loose end' is tied up. This is nothing against you – quite frankly, there is a reason that I have chosen to vanish rather than call you in, and it has to do with the RAT folder, or rather the contents within._

 _Alex, I am in danger. My very possession of that folder renders me a target to a dangerous 'third party', one that I can only assume used the Candy's restaurant to facilitate his schemes. He had originally planned to use Freddy Fazbear's – as the schemes required the use of children – however I would not allow him to work anywhere close to the animatronics._

 _When you connected the cult to the Marionette in the 'Improved Location' last year and stopped their machinations, I believed myself to be safe. After all, they wouldn't attempt the same gambit twice, or that was my logic. Sadly, I believe this not to be the case; it seems that they are attempting to reactivate the plans they have at the location. Judging by what the Toys located, I'm going to assume they were successful, which puts me in danger. Thankfully, I believe by disappearing I will protect you and the others from the same fate. Hence why I'm writing this note; I have a simple request for you._

 _Alex, burn the RAT folder. Let it be reduced to ashes, and forget it ever existed. Do not read through it and don't pursue this line of inquiry. It won't end well._

 _One last thing… I wish I could have had more time to explain the history of Fazbear Entertainment. It's a long story, and one that I feel you should share with the others… However, I never had the time. Until this blows over, please… Take care of the others. And STAY AWAY FROM CANDY'S!_

 _Take care, my friend._

 _Frederick Faz.'_

 _I shook my head, mind reeling… Before stuffing the note into the folder and heading out to my car, locking the door behind me. I had to take some time and clear my head on this, as well as look over that folder…_

 _But for now, all I knew was this. Faz was gone._

I remembered how broken up the gang was when they found out he'd simply left. It had hurt for all of us… And it made me remember once more what had happened to Bonnie shortly after…

Then I felt a solid hit to my midsection and realized that the Balloon Boy was still there, still had the shifting face of Faz, and was still clearly looking for a fight. I dropped to a fighting stance, and watched him carefully.

He charged, swinging a punch at me. I dodged to the side, sliced across and caught the propeller on his hat, slicing it cleanly off. He screeched in frustration and pounced at me, tossing a quick one-two into my chest before I was able to throw him off and into the wall, out of the security office and into the main hall. I chased him down, coming down with twin vertical slices, trying to cut his arms off…

He jumped to the side, but I still managed to cut through his left arm, removing it from the 'elbow' down and getting another unhuman screech to sound from him. The blow felt solid enough when I dealt it, so… My eyes glanced towards his head, moving to decapitate him and end the fight quick and easy.

He ducked, coming in and kicking my knee, forcing me down. I followed it up with a shoulder ram, dropping a machete on the way to punch him a few times, before unlimbering my shotgun and stuffing it into his mouth, squeezing the trigger.

His head flew apart like a machine thrown into a garbage compactor, and I got to my feet with a nod, reloading it…

And not noticing as he got back to his feet, gathered the pieces for his head, and reassembled them into a complete – if scarred – head! I was frozen in place, eyes wide and jaw dropped as he finished reassembling himself, reattaching his arm as well before giggling at me. "HELLO!" He charged me once more, forcing me on the defensive as I blocked strike after strike, backpedaling the entire time to get myself some room to breathe and failing miserably as he managed to get a few lucky strikes in on me.

I jumped to the side, came in with a roundhouse kick, and sent him hurtling to the ground once more, following it up by pinning him to the ground with my machetes. This gave me a moment to hunt around for a different way of finishing him off… Before he reached up, grabbed the machetes, and pulled them out of his chest, throwing them at me. I dodged to the side, but then swore as I felt pain raking along my side as the other blade caught me and carved a nice cut into my body.

I charged in with a jump-kick, nailing him squarely in the midsection and taking him down, knocking a healthy dent into his middle. He giggled, swinging the balloon he had in his hand at me… And I cried out as I felt a jolt of electricity travelling through my body, sending me to the ground like I'd just been tased! I groaned, getting back to my feet… Just in time to see that balloon crackle slightly with power as his midsection reformed… I put two and two together at that point. The balloon was his power source, it was how he kept self-repairing!

I charged in, punching him once, twice, three times… And groaned as the lousy bugger hit me between the legs, bringing me down to my knees in time for him to bring his fist up in an uppercut and lay me out on the ground, this time standing over me and grabbing one of my blades, bringing it up… And I took my chance, swinging my other one around and severing the line between his balloon and him. The 'balloon' floated up for a moment before exploding in a crackle of energy and mechanical pieces, forcing him off of me.

With a growl, I shoulder rammed the lousy robot and brought it down to the ground, punching it again and again, watching as plastic chipped and shattered off of his face… I saw red at this point, remembering everything I'd dealt with ever since, memories overflowing me as I pummeled it into nothingness. I wanted to tear it apart with my bare hands, smash it into nothing but scraps, leave nothing left…

The pain in my knuckles brought me out of my trance and I was able to look at them, bleeding and scraped up from punching the bare floor for an extended length of time. I scrambled to my feet, looking around for Balloon Boy… And realized that the ventilation system was currently beeping in the security office. With a sigh, I rebooted it and got a few gulps of fresh air… Groaning and wincing for a moment. Just another hallucination…

I stood once more, going to grab the blades I dropped… And ended up keeling over, leaning on one knee as I clutched my chest, pains going through it. I knew it was my heart, and I knew that Golden… Springtrap's gas was gonna cost me if I didn't keep an eye on my heart rate. I got to my feet…

And hissed as I felt searing pain in my side, moving a hand there. When I brought it back, it was covered in blood… Apparently not everything was in my mind, considering how I currently had a nasty cut along my side from my own machete blade. With a hiss of pain, I opened up the nearby first aid kit and started patching myself up, hissing and swearing on occasion as I patched up the injury and turned my attention back to the cameras.

Springtrap had moved, starting to come a few rooms closer… And he was clearly laughing at me. I shook my head, taking a moment to flip him off through the tablet camera.

This was gonna be a long night…

* * *

First major reveal has occurred; where did Faz go? And who's Alex going to face next?

Read and review, folks.


	4. Chapter 3: Memory Comes to a Boil

Yay, more updates! Does this mean I may actually finish this story at some point?

I hope so, because if this thing ends up finishing after Scott's latest project (A Freddy Fazbear RPG? You have me curious) then I will be severely annoyed with myself.

Yet again, this chapter is more about plot and exposition than it is combat, though I tried to have a good fight scene in it as well. I will warn you, though; this is where things really do start to take a turn for the worst as we see more of the background between the Toy Incident and now.

Hang on tight, folks. Here we go.

* * *

I glanced over the screens yet again, keeping one eye on Springtrap's current position. He grinned menacingly, looking up at the camera with those menacing, glowing eyes. I couldn't help but shudder slightly; even in his mangled, decimated form, he still managed to look intimidating. I stared right back into the tablet, holding his gaze; I'd beaten this defective arrangement of parts several times before, I can beat him again now.

He chuckled darkly, gazing into the camera. "Ah, glad to see you're still with me, Mr. Redding… After all, the real fun hasn't started yet. I'm sure you're starting to dredge up some bad memories now, hmmm? Perhaps of how you lost ally after ally, friend after friend…" He shrugged a bit, shaking his head. "Oh, but where are my manners? I'm sure you're curious to find out where I found what I needed to get this suit – and don't get me wrong, all that it was before I came was a suit – to the situation you see me in?" Another dark chuckle. "Very well, Mr. Redding… I will give you a few details.

"You see, it began shortly after you destroyed me… I had known you were coming, so I made a backup of my data to the only other server I could locate. When it activated, I knew that you'd 'killed' my old body… So I began to plan. When news clippings began to show, discussing the occurrences, it wasn't hard for me to piece together the beginnings of a plan… But I'll get to that. First, my suit. I'd found it in an old Freddy Fazbear's location, after hacking the security cameras and managing to hear about a 'safe room' of sorts. It took little effort to get someone to confirm its presence… But it had no endoskeleton. I would need to find one.

"To locate a mechanical endo at this point would be nearly impossible. Golden Mile was being thoroughly investigated, Fazbear Entertainment was in a massive lawsuit, and even Uncanny Valley robots would look very curious being shipped to a Fazbear site. But then, I discovered something… Interesting. Mr. Redding, we both know what happened to Damien Mitchell, and we both know also that he was a very influential cultist. But something you may not have known…"

He grinned menacingly, eyes flashing in the camera. "Mr. Mitchell had an accomplice. One that had an affinity for the color purple, and also had experience with Fazbear Entertainment… Furthermore, one that could 'act' mental and emotional trauma in an incredible way. You've met him, Mr. Redding… But I'll leave it up to you to discover who it is.

"Regardless, I came up with a plan… I was developing the psychosis gas that you are currently suffering the effects of, so who better to test it on than the murderer that got away? I sent him a message, detailing that I knew everything, and to come to the location if he didn't want me to send it to law enforcement. Naturally, he came – armed of course – and set about trying to find me.

"I had my accomplice release the gas into the vents." My brain came to a full halt at that. Accomplice? All I could think of at the moment was the RAT folder that Faz had left me, and the warning he'd left to not look into Candy's… I shook my head. "Oh yes, Mr. Redding. I have an accomplice… Or rather, 'had'. He left me behind after I had my new body… Speaking of which.

"The gas brought one of his fears to life in his mind. From what I was able to gather… He hallucinated that the ghosts of the children he murdered were coming to get him, coming to enact revenge… They herded him into the spare room, where the suit is. He saw the suit, remembered his former crimes – using the suits as a method to hide his identity from the kids – and climbed in.

"What he didn't know was that it was one of Fazbear Entertainment's… Less trustworthy machines, the SpringLock suit. A suit that could be used as both animatronic and personal suit, by using a spring-lock system and crank to retract the various portions of suit so a human can fit. He climbed into the suit, thinking he was safe… But then, my accomplice managed to release the springlocks.

"You can imagine what happened next. Quite simply, I processed him into a 'drone'… And transferred my AI into his brain. So thus, you see… This."

He grasped his head, pulling the mouth wide… And my eyes widened as I saw what was within. A human head, flesh mummified and clinging to the skull, with bulging eyes… I could tell from a glance that the body had died in agony… Easily over four years ago, possibly five.

"So there it is, Mr. Redding. My tale of how I continue to haunt you… But speaking of haunts, I believe another old 'friend' wants to make her presence known." With that, the camera cut to static… Before coming clear again, in a shot of one of the old arcade machines…

Except, instead of a game, there was a black and white negative of Chica's face, looking badly burned and mangled, staring at me. My head swam as my memories kicked in…

 _It was roughly a month after Faz had left. I'd decided to honor his last request, leaving the RAT folder shelved unless something major came up; I figured that even if I looked into it, I'd end up having to turn everything over to the Toys and let them handle the situation. At this point, the rest of the gang was all working. Freddy had taken to stand-up comedy, unsurprisingly; Bonnie supported him quite well. Foxy and I worked together on investigations, and Chica had actually opened up a restaurant. Foxy, Freddy, Bonnie and I were planning on meeting there for lunch one day._

 _We'd met roughly two or three blocks away, with the intention of walking in, catching up, and grabbing a seat. We knew Chica would be there, and we also knew that it would be a great time in general. Three blocks away, we met and started chatting happily amongst ourselves; Foxy and Bonnie were gossiping away, though… She seemed a bit off. She excused it as forgetting to unplug and getting an overcharge on her battery, which Freddy jokingly responded by saying, "So that's why you've been pouncing me so much!" We had a good laugh, dodged some paparazzi, and continued on._

 _Two blocks away, I felt something… Off. The same kind of off I'd felt when I first went into Freddy Fazbear's, the same kind of off I felt when I read about the reopening. I knew better than to question it, so I turned to the others and brought up my worries. This put us all on guard, and we moved slower along this block, eyes open and wondering if anything would happen. Nothing came up, but the sensation remained… I pushed it away, trying to focus on having a good time with my friends._

 _One block away, and all hell broke loose. We heard a loud WHOOOMP sound from the direction we were going. We shared a quick look, then bolted straight for Chica's diner… rounding the corner, we were shocked to see the entire building enveloped in flames. Immediately we were dialing emergency response, and everyone we could get in touch with. While I made phone calls, Foxy and Bonnie were looking the place over, trying to see if Chica was out of it, or if she was okay. We couldn't find her. Getting more and more worried, we waited for the fire department to arrive…_

 _After a few long moments, plus a good half hour of firefighting, they evacuated the building as it simply collapsed in on itself. Another hour later, they found something and called me over._

 _It was a massive, scorched, burned husk… But even so, I recognized the scraps of yellow feathers surrounding it. Bonnie held Freddy tight, and Foxy gasped. I stood there, dumbfounded._

 _Chica was gone. With her processor incinerated, and no way of finding any backups – if there even were any – she was dead._

 _We held a funeral a few months later, the mayor offering to foot the bill for the entire event. The entire city turned out to mourn one of its dead heroes._

I remembered that date all too well. A week after the funeral was when I had my first drink of whiskey, discovered I liked the way it seemed to burn the darkness and sadness I felt away, and didn't stop. The city investigated, and ruled the whole thing to be a freak accident; a gas leak had gone up when Chica – who had closed the restaurant early so she could spend quality time with us – attempted to light the stove and start cooking. I always felt like it was my fault, that if I hadn't agreed to meeting at Chica's, she'd still be alive…

But apparently, her ghost was planning on taking that job as she charged me, knocking the camera out of my way and throwing me through the office door.

" _ **YOU DID THISSSSSSSSS!**_ " I froze for a long moment, leaving an opening for her to draw a menacingly long and sharp kitchen knife, starting to swing it at me. I caught it with a machete blade, before sighing. Apparently I had no choice but to defend myself… I swung back, catching her in the knee joint with the flat of my blade and coming up with a rising knee kick that knocked her beak off and her off of me.

She staggered back to her feet with a shocking amount of speed, producing what seemed like a sizzling-hot frying pan from another burned, withered opening within her mangled frame and swinging it at me. I could feel the heat as I blocked it with the other blade, kicking forward to try and grab some distance… And screaming in pain as she dug the knife blade into my ankle. I went down, swearing the entire way and she was right on top of me, raising that burning pan high…

I pulled a magnum out and fired two shots up, directly into her gaping, beakless mouth. This knocked her back and I pressed the offensive, unloading the revolver into her body and then starting to swing the blades again and again. I took a chunk off of her side, then cut through one of her knee joints and nearly severed the leg, diving both blades into her chest-

I knew I'd made a mistake when they stuck for a moment, and had it confirmed by the burning hot skillet hitting me in the side. I screamed in pain, swearing audibly as I struggled back to my feet once more. She hissed at me again… Thinking quickly, I pulled one of the smoke grenades from my belt and – remembering the fight back at the first Fazbear's – tugged the pin and stuck it directly into her mouth.

The effects were clear as the smoke released into her form, leaking out of the many holes in her suit… But enough of it had gotten into her ventilation system – so clogged with grease and grime from so much time spent cooking – that she was screeching and hacking away as she tried to regain some form of stability. I decided that was a good chance to come in and slash away the knife she was holding, cutting her hand completely off and causing the blade to drop.

I felt the pain searing through my side and up my leg from my ankle as I charged in, stabbing into her with both blades once more… And swearing as they stuck again, preventing me from eviscerating her. I settled for what I had on hand, releasing the blades and throwing a quick one-two punch to her face, following it up with an uppercut that knocked her flat on her back. She came back to her feet swinging that burning-hot frying pan.

I immediately tugged one of my batons out, striking it against the surface of her pan, wincing as I heard the polymer material burning from the impact. The other one came out a moment later, coming down hard on a blow to her head. I followed it up by swinging at her knees in unison, causing her to go down to them and bringing my leg up in a rising knee kick… That successfully knocked her head completely off.

However, this didn't seem to stop her as she started flailing the pan around aimlessly, screeching in rage and agony as she did so, trying to hit me by sheer luck. I cringed as I felt the narrow end of the pan hit against my arm, hoping it hadn't just broke… What would it take to stop her?

My eyes widened as an idea came to mind. It might not work at all, but it was worth a shot… And with Chica's ventilation system finally clearing the smoke from my grenade out, I only had one chance at this. I kicked at her knee joint again, dropping the batons and grasping one of my blades tightly. A few good pulls, and it was free of her chest, knocking her back again. She growled, getting to her feet and pouncing on me, pinning me down and raising her burning pan high…

I moved quickly, managing to get one arm free long enough to slice her other hand off, grabbing it in my free hand and forcing the hot pan into her core. There was the sound of burning grease, sizzling, and then… Just as I managed to wiggle out from underneath her, she burst into flames as the heat ignited the build-up of grease.

I groaned, looking down and going to my knee to nurse my ankle as she burned… Before I noticed I didn't feel a heat from my burned side anymore, though the pain from my stabbed ankle was still there, and it was still bleeding a fair bit. I looked up… Sure enough, she was gone. Grumbling to myself, I rose to go back into the security office…

And between the sudden heart palpitations sending waves of pain through my chest, the aching in my arm signaling a potential heart attack, and the agony in my leg, I went right back down on my face. Slowly I managed to drag myself in, breathing heavily and trying not to go over the edge before resetting the ventilation system, getting a few more gulps of clean air which gave me time to bandage my wounds once again. I scowled at the cameras as I flipped through them, seeing that Springtrap had once more moved closer, giving him a menacing look.

Keep coming, you freak. I've got a nasty surprise for you.

* * *

Oh no, Chica! Seems that we've found where Alex's fall into depression began... And it's not gonna improve from here out, folks.

Read and review.


	5. Chapter 4: Lovers, Memories, and Shadows

Aye, yi, yi. So much for having this done before Halloween, huh?

Normally I'd come here and make excuses for how long it's been, but... Considering the last update you heard was in September, and how scarce I've been except for answering PMs... I think making excuses is in bad taste, eh?

Instead, I'm going to take some time and thank Your Intelligence for giving me a swift kick in the rear and getting me back on writing this thing. Occasionally, that's what I need and I certainly did this time. I'm sorry it took so long, folks... I'm not going to make any promises about when I'll finish this story because we both know by now I probably won't be able to keep 'em. Instead, all I'm gonna do is thank you all for sticking by me despite the delays.

And enough of my rambling. You guys came here for a chapter, and I'm gonna give you one - one with what I hope is one heck of a fight, to boot.

Read on, folks. Also, to anyone attached to my characters on an emotional level... I'm sorry in advance.

* * *

I finished wrapping another bandage around my ankle, hopefully stopping the bleeding for now, before glancing back to the monitors… And my eyes widened. I couldn't see Springtrap. Where the heck was he?! As I frantically scanned through the cameras, I heard a metallic 'thunk'… The vents. He was in the vents. I flipped the camera overlay, and found him… Before quickly sealing that vent off. "Sorry buddy, but you'll have to come the long way."

He glowered at the camera, and I shuddered as I saw that cold, menacing gaze. "Clever, Mr. Redding… You think you've got the entire situation under control. Just like you believed yourself to be in control with Mr. Faz's disappearance… And yet you never investigated, did you? Six long years, and you spent them ignoring the files that could have revealed everything… Humans are so simple."

I stared into that monitor, before leaning up close to it. "I swear, if you had anything to do with his disappearance…"

He rolled his eyes. "PLEASE, Mr. Redding. If I wanted him dead, I could have killed him at any time. It was never about Mr. Faz; if anything, his reluctance to shut the business down helped me further my plans… Until you came along, of course. But I digress… The fact remains that his disappearance has nothing to do with me.

"My… 'associate', however…" He trailed off, before grinning. "Ah, what does it matter. You will go to your grave not knowing what truly happened to Frederick Faz, Mr. Redding. I find that to be sufficient as an additional punishment. Stripped of your friends, your reputation, your love, and any answers you could use to put your mind at ease… All because you had the misfortune to get in my way. In fact, that sounds wonderfully familiar. After all, you still have a few friends left who are DYING to see you…"

I flicked the monitor down, shuddering as he began to laugh in his slow, menacing way… Before my eyes locked on a shadowy figure, slinking outside my window. Hunched over, looking battered and stained from inactivity, Freddy Fazbear was slowly working his way towards my door. He paused, staring into my eyes. " _ **ALEX… WHY DID YOU FORSAKE US… BRING BACK… BRING BACK… BRING HER BACK TO ME…**_ " My mind swam for a long moment as memories began to wash through my brain. Memories of what had happened to Freddy and Bonnie, the two bots that had been so in love…

 _It was around the one year 'anniversary' of Chica's death, and we'd agreed to get together to mourn and provide some support for each other. Freddy in particular had told Foxy and I that he was worried. "Bonnie hasn't been doing too well ever since Chica… I'm hoping that it'll solve itself. She's not accepting any help from anyone, and… I just want to make sure she's going to be okay." I thought I understood; Foxy hadn't been the same either, ever since. But when they came in, I knew how wrong I was._

 _Bonnie looked like she was barely on her feet. Her eyes were dimmed, her ears were drooping and she was only barely getting around. She had this strange static noise whenever she spoke, her joints creaked with every move she made… In fact, she genuinely looked like she was sick. Badly so. We'd tried to have a good time together, but Freddy was clearly worried and Foxy was obviously affected by how bad she seemed. Finally, I left Foxy and Freddy to talk by themselves for a bit and took Bonnie off to my workshop to have a chat with her._

" _Bonnie… I'm not gonna lie. You look pretty bad. What's going on? We're all worried about you…" I spoke with concern, resting a hand on her shoulder. She just shrugged, static coming out from her voice whenever she spoke again._

" _I'm… Alright, Alex. Just… A bit of… A bug, I assume. We AI… Get them… Too, you know… And with Chica… Gone… It's harder for me to… Fight it. But don't worry… Alex… I'll be fine…" She tried a weak smile, which I returned with a half-hearted one before hugging her._

" _Just take care of yourself, okay? We need someone to keep Freddy out of trouble, after all." I chuckled softly, and she hugged me back as best she could with a nod._

" _Wouldn't… Dream of it… Alex."_

 _The visit carried on for a few hours, and we had a good time. Laughing, talking, sharing a few stories and remembering Chica as our friend. We even caught a movie, before Freddy finally nodded and started taking Bonnie home. I stopped him as he was leaving._

" _Freddy… Take care of Bonnie. She says it's just a bug, but I suspect it's more than that. You may have to take her over, see if our friends over in AI research have any idea how to help her." Freddy nodded._

" _Alex, my boy… I've said it before and I'll say it again. You're the best friend an old bear could ask for. I never even thought of that… If she gets much worse, I'll bring her over. Thanks." We shared an embrace, and I watched them leave before turning to Foxy and asking her what Freddy had told her._

 _She just shook her head. "All he knows is that Bonnie hasn't been doing too great ever since last year, but it was only in recent weeks that she started really falling. I figure she may have caught a virus of some kind, hopefully something that can be fixed."_

 _I nodded. "Yeah, I told him to take her over to the Toys if she keeps getting worse. I guess she'll be alright, either way… I hope so, at least." She nodded, and we sat back together and just held each other._

 _I heard her whimpering, and I knew it was the closest to crying she could have. I just slowly held her as she let it all out. "I want Chica back…"_

 _I just nodded, softly rubbing her ears. "Me too, hun. Me too…"_

 _It was only two weeks later when Freddy told us he was taking Bonnie over to the Toys. Apparently she'd fully collapsed one day and was unresponsive, not even to his diagnostics. Foxy and I rushed over there, trying to see what happened. By the time we got there, the technicians had confirmed our worst fears. Bonnie had suffered from a total hard drive failure that had blown her CPU out as well. There was no way to recover her; apparently the data was wiped by a computer virus that none of them had ever seen before._

 _She was gone._

 _In the aftermath, Freddy became reclusive. The comedy club was shut down, and he spent all his time alone. Foxy and I had tried to come over and check on him many times, but we were always met with the same response; he didn't want company. He was grieving, and wanted to be left in peace. We were worried, but decided not to intrude. In hindsight, we should have bashed that door in and forced him to come to grips…_

 _Especially since, after roughly two months of silence, we finally forced our way in and found Freddy sitting there, completely shut down. We checked his diagnostics, and found that he'd completely wiped his own hard drive, leaving only a note about seeing Bonnie again in whatever afterlife existed for AI._

 _He was gone as well._

And there he was, standing before me and occasionally twitching slightly from the pain and malice. " _ **Get him, Freddy… Make him pay for my death…**_ " I froze. That was Bonnie's voice… _**"I will, Bonnie… I won't let him get away… YOU DID THIS, ALEX!**_ " He brought his microphone down on where I was sitting, and I dove to the side… Just in time to see it nearly split the back of my chair in two. I quickly drew my blades, shaking my head as my eyes darkened.

"Freddy… I didn't do this to you. But if you're going to fight me, you don't give me a choice!" With that, I charged in and stabbed one machete directly into his midsection, following it up with another strike to his forearm. He growled, before throwing me over his shoulder, causing me to let go of one of the blades. I landed on my feet and threw the second one in, landing it neatly in his head.

He just stared at me for a long moment, before grabbing both machetes and forcing them out of his body, twirling them around him. " _ **YOUR OWN WEAPONS BETRAY YOU, REDDING!**_ " He charged, swinging rapidly and forcing me to retreat. I fell back, trying not to trip as I brought my batons out, blocking a few strikes… Before crying out in pain as I felt a blade rake across my side, leaving a nasty, bleeding cut. I swore, pulling the shotgun from my back and opening fire.

Three blasts fired off, each one hitting the Phantom Freddy squarely in the chest, tearing off pieces of his suit and revealing the jet-black endoskeleton beneath. He screeched at me, before coming at me and bringing a blade down on the barrel of the shotgun, forcing the fourth shot into his arm and neatly blowing it off. I dropped the shotgun, moving quickly to trip him up and curb stomp his head.

He grabbed my ankle and threw me backwards, sending me down to the floor and knocking the wind out of me. I looked up just in time to see him raising my other machete high, before plunging it down towards my head. I dodged to the side, and he swung again, forcing me to dodge a second time. I couldn't keep this up forever…

Then an idea struck me. It might not work, but it was the closest thing I had to a way of getting away from this situation currently. As he cackled, blade raised high… I fished my taser out and forced the prongs into his leg joint, squeezing the trigger.

He responded exactly as I'd expected, dropping the machete and screeching in agony and frustration as he backed up, falling over onto his own rear end and giving me the breathing room I needed to get back to my feet, hissing in pain at both the fall I took and the cut across my side. I pulled my batons back out and started bludgeoning the phantom bear again and again, smacking him repeatedly. His menacing laughter continued through every hit, before he groaned and threw me off of him again, forcing me against the wall near the locked exit.

I groaned as he punched me one-handedly again and again, wondering how I was supposed to take this bear out… Before remembering the fight with Balloon Boy. He had a focus; somewhere that his power was coming from and being channeled into his spirit. It was preventing him from holding any permanent damage, so clearly if Freddy had taken a beating like this he'd have one as well… Thinking quickly, I grabbed his tie and pulled it off.

He screamed in anger, and I forced the tie – which was razor sharp, as I learned from the gash now cut into my palm – straight into his mouth and upwards, into where I assumed his CPU would be. He stumbled back, gurgling and groaning angrily… Before collapsing onto his back.

Breathing heavily, I shook my head and moved to retrieve my weapons… Before groaning as he pounced onto my back and forced me down again. I grit my teeth as I fell, wincing as my head hit the ground. I could taste blood and knew I'd just split my lip open. That was going to require a fix… If I could get out from under this psychotic bear. But how… How was he alive? The answer came with his… Bonnie's voice.

" _ **ALEEEXXXX! YOU DID THIS TO USSSSSS!"**_ Us. Somehow, Freddy and Bonnie had possessed one phantom. There were two focuses. I struggled out from under him once more, kneeing him in the stomach and forcing him away… Before I saw his form flickering. It altered between Freddy, sans bow tie and missing an arm, to Bonnie, her ears lowered and glaring menacingly at me. It was during one of these flickers that I saw it. Her ears were tucked in… Almost as if to fit in Freddy's hat!

I grasped my blades, coming at him once more as he settled on Freddy's form, blocking his punch and coming in with a hard kick to his midsection that forced him against the wall. I followed it up by chopping downwards, removing his other arm, and finally kicking at his legs and sending him down to sit on his rear end… HARD. He glared up at me as I prepared to chop the hat off.

" _ **GO AHEAD, ALEX… KILL YOUR FRIENDS… AGAIN…**_ " He closed his eyes and began to laugh in that dark way… Even playing a distorted, evil version of Toreador as he did so. I sighed, shaking my head.

"You're not Freddy. You're not Bonnie. You're in my mind, understand?! IT'S ALL IN MY MIND!" With that, I chopped the hat clean off… And twin decayed, purple but faded ears flew out from underneath it as it flew through the air before simply fading into blackness. The phantom before me did likewise, and I finally breathed a sigh of relief…

Before suddenly, I felt that agonizing pain in my chest again, forcing me to collapse once more, feeling darkness closing in around the corners of my vision. I shook my head, trying to clear it as my heart protested the stress it was undergoing from both my injuries and the terror and adrenaline saturating my bloodstream. I managed to flick the vents again, and leaned against them to gasp in the fresh, unpolluted air as best I could. Slowly, my heart began to stop trying to escape my chest, and my arm no longer felt numb. With the symptoms of a heart attack easing off, I opened the medical kit and started patching my wounds up.

The cut on my side was long, but not very deep; just enough to bleed a fair bit. I wrapped bandages around my middle, making sure to pad and keep pressure on it as best I could, wrapping my hand as well before glancing to the cameras again. Sure enough, Springtrap was just a few cameras away from me now.

"Ah, you're still alive! Excellent… I'd hate for you to die before being reminded of all of your FAILURES, Mr. Redding… After all, the entire point of this evening is to prove to you that you've lo-o-loooooost…." He twitched slightly, and his eyes went foggy… Before blinking, looking around in an almost panicked fashion… And then suddenly looking back to me, even more malice in his vision. "As I was saying… There is only one more of your ghosts that you have left to face. I so look forward to seeing how you do!" His menacing laugh echoed through the building, and I shuddered… I knew the last ghost he was referring to. The one I felt the most guilt over.

A thought crept into my mind… What had happened to Springtrap, just then? Was it a glitch, a malfunction in his decayed, psychotic programming? Or…

I had to think for a long moment. The 'endoskeleton' he was currently using was Mitchell's accomplice during the murdered children. Someone familiar with Fazbear Entertainment, but able to act and put on convincing performances… Something about what Springtrap had said, about how he could 'act' mental and emotional trauma, and how I met him before…

I shook my head and finished patching myself up, grabbing a few more breaths of fresh air. Whatever it was, it didn't matter much at this point. After all, whoever Springtrap's victim was, it was unlikely he'd come back to haunt me.

Besides, I had bigger problems to worry about… One last phantom, and then I could confront Springtrap himself and end this.

* * *

And so we find out what happened to Bonnie and Freddy... One last ghost between Alex and Springtrap. We all know who it is, and it's going to be the most painful fight of them all.

Read and review, folks.


	6. Chapter 5: Dark Memories of a Lost Love

Hey, everyone! Thanksgiving break is upon me, so I'm no longer burdened with a bazillion college papers. Time to do a chapter!

First off, I'd like to thank all of you for sticking with me, despite how long this story has taken to get here. We're almost at the end of this road, and getting ready to go into FNAF 4's story. When, I make no promises; I have to finish this semester before I think about long-term writing plans.

Second, I hope everyone enjoys their Thanksgiving... And I hope I don't ruin the holiday with this chapter's content. Because this one, as several people I'm sure are already aware, is the painful one.

Here we go, folks.

* * *

I checked everything over once more, watching through the cameras and making sure to give the vent overlay a quick glance over as well. After a bit of searching, I froze up as I saw Springtrap standing in front of… What looked to be a lamp, made from a Foxy suit head. He didn't seem to be paying attention to me, so I idly tapped the 'play sound' button… And winced as Balloon Boy's laugh echoed through the room. Annoying, but it did get his attention as he twitched a few times, looking up at me.

"I-I…" He smacked the side of his head for a moment, before twitching a few more times. "Wh-where am I? What's going on? GET ME OUT OF HE-" And suddenly, he stopped short, smacking his head once more and shaking it. "…I do apologize, Mr. Redding. I hope you weren't too bored without my presence… It seems as though this particular body of mine has a few unexpected consequences to it. Such is the pain of using fully advanced AI with an organic endoskeleton, I suppose…" He grins menacingly. "Intelligence conflicts are difficult, but easily suppressed with the right application of fear and pain."

I paused to take that particular bit of information in, letting it process for a long few moments… Intelligence conflict? I shook my head for a moment, taking a seat and trying to think this through. If there was a conflict between Golden Freddy's AI and the physical body's mind inside Springtrap, then maybe I could exploit that… Possibly. I'd have to think for a moment, try to figure out who it was that did it. I knew it was the murderer, and I remembered what Springtrap had said…

Unbidden, I remembered a case I worked several years ago, before I was part of SWAT. I'd been assigned to investigate a serial murder case; apparently he'd been picking off young people from a local church at least once a month, and had worked up quite a body count in that time. The local sheriff was out of ideas, and the FBI was gonna be called in soon so I volunteered to give it one last look-over. The locals all had alibis; they had been either at the church or home with someone else at the time, and the last victim had walked home with a well-known and very quiet but pleasant person.

On a whim, I'd chased that lead down and had a talk with the individual. He seemed nervous, but pleasant enough. Like he was just as terrified by the whole ordeal, and wanted everything to just go away… I'd just gotten ready to leave, when I saw a bloodstained apron hanging up out back. He said it was from hunting… But after a closer look, I saw a human finger in the pocket.

Turns out he'd been killing people for a long time, and was able to put on a perfectly innocent, even nervous act that was good enough to even fool the polygraph. We'd gotten him checked out for multiple personalities, schizophrenia, and a host of other issues but it turned out that he was just that cold. Full-blown psychopath, and excellent at it.

This memory slowly drifted through my head, trying to connect with another… Someone in purple, good at acting, and able to fool everyone around him… Another memory travelled through my mind. Meeting with Mike, during my investigation into the last Freddy Fazbear's. His friend, Fritz Smith; he had a history with animatronics having been a security guard as well, he looked to be traumatized – even more so than Mike and I were. Granted that could be because we brought the fight to them, but… He wore a purple jacket all the time, even when he was pulling Mike's body away after the Marionette killed him. Come to think of it, he barely seemed affected by his friend's death… I'd shrugged it off at the time…

Wait. Something in those files that I'd found during that investigation… Fritz and Faz were actually acquaintances; after Faz left Fazbear Entertainment, he had left Fritz in a higher position within the company. More than a security guard, for sure…

Holy crap. It had to be. I turned to the screen, keying the intercom microphone and focusing on Springtrap. I opened my mouth to speak… Before the camera cut to static, and he disappeared, leaving the Foxy head's eyes glowing even brighter it seems… Memory fogged my mind once more as I remembered what had happened…

 _It was a month or so after the memorial for Freddy and Bonnie, and Foxy and I had basically decided to stick together. It was just the two of us left who remembered the incident firsthand, and we had been leaning on each other heavily in the aftermath, trying to support each other and prevent us both from falling into depression. To try and 'help' in his own way – as well as help his own reelection campaign – the city mayor had taken to inviting us out to speak at so many different public occasions. We'd turned him down for the most part – Foxy was still adjusting to everything, and I had never been much for public speaking anyway. But one day, there was a gala for a local homeless shelter, and we'd given in and agreed to come out as guests._

 _It had only supposed to be roughly an hour, maybe two hours long for a meal, a few speeches, and then we could leave. But instead, he asked both Foxy and I to speak; she declined politely, still fearing being in front of all of those people. I relented and stood up, giving a speech that was answered with rousing applause. Between that, and all the people that came by our table to thank us for saving the city on several occasions, we'd been stuck there until the event was finally shutting down. It was late, we were tired, and it was time to leave._

 _We rose, waving to everyone, and moved for the door… Before I was 'ambushed' by a horde of news reporters asking me for an interview. I told Foxy to go ahead and go out to the car and I'd be behind her shortly, waving for the mayor to come and bail me out of this situation. He came along as fast as he could, trying to wave the paparazzi away and get them to leave me alone. They followed me all the way out, and I could see Foxy getting in and starting the car. I turned away to tell the reporters to leave –_

 _And then heard a blast from behind me, felt the heat hitting me from the back. I spun around in place, just in time to see the fireball rising from my car. I didn't waste any time, rushing to the burning wreckage… Only for the mayor to restrain me, preventing me from running into the flames. The fire department rushed out as well, putting the flames out as best as they could… And when I was finally allowed, I rushed to the wreckage._

 _My fears were realized as I saw her. Burned, decayed, and no longer holding any life. I cradled the decimated endoskeleton in my arms… And I screamed. I screamed, and cried, and wept openly for her death._

 _The only part that wasn't too damaged to recover was her hook._

 _The media caught the whole thing. A week or two later, an arrest was made after a well-known anti-AI extremist group took credit for the car bombing, leading to a raid on one of their local positions and the local leader being arrested. The others were found dead at the same location, with suicide notes reading they would rather 'die as humans than be subjected to the travesty of justice that never held these rogue machines accountable for their actions'._

 _The news passed on, and the mayor decided not to ask me to any more events after that out of respect. I retreated into myself, with nobody left. Even Adams couldn't get me out of my shell; I turned to the bottle during the day and sleeping pills at night to try and fight the waking nightmares away…_

That had gone on for months, easily. Until I got the letter, the one from HIM. The one that had started it all, and made me come here… And, as I stared into the glowing eyes of the Foxy head on the wall, I knew what would be waiting for me when I looked back up. I didn't want to look… But I knew I had no choice. I folded the screen away, and looked up.

Sure enough, standing in the middle of the room, still twitching with large parts of her endoskeleton missing and looking burned and decimated nearly beyond recognition, was Foxy. Her eyes were glowing as they locked onto me, and I could only sit, frozen in place as she turned, twitching slightly.

" _ **A-ALEXXX… WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME…**_ " I was chilled by those words… And frozen in place for a long moment, before finally having to dive to the side as she pounced at me. One arm was missing from the elbow joint down, but she still had that hook… And she didn't hesitate to drive it through the back of my chair, eviscerating it with one good swing. I scrambled to my feet, grasping my machetes tightly as I faced off against her. She crouched down, brandishing her hook.

I made the first move, stepping in and swinging at her good arm's elbow, hoping to knock the hook off and finish the fight early. She eased over to the side, ducking down and tripping me, sending me hurling forward out of the office and colliding with the dummy Freddy sitting on the nearby stand. The head fell off, and I grasped it seconds before she pounced me again. I stuffed her muzzle into the opening on the mask, tossing her off of me and coming up with a series of fast kicks to her torso, managing to buy me some distance to fight with.

I decided to try and end the fight quickly once more, pulling my shotgun from my back and opening fire, sending blast after blast towards the phantom Foxy's midsection, trying to knock her power core offline. She jumped to the side, dodging every blast just in time… Until she was close enough to dive that hook into my arm, throwing my aim aside enough for me to waste the last shot, forcing me to drop the shotgun. I cried out in pain, before grasping at her hook arm and throwing her over my shoulder, managing to dislodge it from my forearm, hissing in pain.

She hissed back at me, her jaw snapping as she went for my throat this time. I gasped, jumping back and backpedaling as fast as I could, but she managed to get a bite in, her sharp teeth carving a nasty gash along my cheek before I could throw her off, drawing both of my magnums and opening fire.

I didn't even notice until both weapons were empty that I was screaming. In pain, in rage, and in fear, I had been screaming the entire time as I emptied my magnums, looking over Foxy as she lay there. Part of me hoped she was defeated… But, as I heard her whimper, I realized that part didn't.

" _ **A-ALEX… Alex… Why…"**_ I froze as I heard her sniffling and whimpering, before raising her head to look at me. She was still staring, with those glowing eyes and that mangled form… " _ **Why did you leave me… Why did you let me die. I loved you...**_ " She slowly rose, her eyes glowing brighter and brighter by the moment, her voice growing darker, more static-filled and distorted. _**"We were supposed to be TOGETHER, Alex… I LOVED YOU AND YOU LET ME DIE!**_ " She pounced me once more…

I don't know why I didn't move. I had ample time to react, plenty of opportunity to evade, getting away from her and continuing the fight. But for some reason, I didn't move an inch, even as she plowed straight into my midsection, as I felt the pain of my head slamming into the tiled wall behind me. Even as I felt her slamming the blunt end of her hook into my midsection, I didn't move, even as her hook dug into my side, carving another gash into me, cutting across my chest and tearing up my shirt and jacket.

I'm still not sure why, but as I looked into her eyes… I felt it. I'd betrayed her, allowed her to die, and this was my punishment. Just like I deserved…

And then I heard it. That laugh. That dark, menacing laugh echoing through the building. Springtrap knew what was going on. He knew about the pain and anguish I was going through, and he was LAUGHING at me.

And just like that, I slowly began to push Foxy back. She hissed, snapping her jaw at me. _**"WHY DO YOU STILL STRUGGLE… THIS IS WHAT YOU DESERVE, ALEX! GIVE UP AND DIE!**_ _"_ She cried out, swinging her hook towards my head –

And I raised my arm, blocking the hit and wincing as I felt the impact. Nothing broken, but it still hurt as I looked into her eyes. "Because the real Foxy would never tell me to give up. The real Foxy would never expect me to lie down and die, would never blame me for what someone else did. The real Foxy would want me to END this, and make sure justice was done." Slowly I rose, removing my machetes from their sheaths once more, feeling anger filling me. "You aren't her. You try to kill me, try to get me to give up and die." I stared into her eyes as I climbed to my feet. "You spit on her memory with every word you say. And I will NOT ALLOW IT!" I charged her, anger propelling me forwards as I swung the blades into her mercilessly.

She screamed and roared in anger and pain as I cut through large chunks of her decayed suit and hit the endoskeleton beneath. I sheared off the rest of her bad arm, lopped off one of her legs from the knee down, and forced her back to a sitting position, looking up at me…

But it wasn't the phantom looking up. Her face was cleaner, and although her eyes still glowed that same ghostly color, her head was clean, looking like Foxy… My Foxy.

" _ **A-Alex, stop… You're hurting me… Please…**_ " I crouched down to her level, looking into those eyes and sighing. " _ **You're hurting me… Why are you hurting me, I love you… Please…"**_ I stopped, staring into those eyes and sighing as I shook my head.

"Foxy… I love you too. I'm sorry…" And I shook my head once more, before seeing her face flickering between the clean one and the phantom's withered one, taking a deep breath. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Foxy." I gently hugged her… Feeling motion from her arm as she moved that hook around, aiming it for my neck.

I grit my teeth, grasping my blade tight. "But I can at least avenge your memory."

With that, I swung my blade down, severing her hook arm at the elbow, sending it flying off. She screamed in agony and rage, the same way that all the other phantoms had. I'd found her weak spot, and with it gone… Slowly, the phantom Foxy began to smoke, dissolving into nothing but a pile of black, ashen sludge. I blinked a few times, and it was gone, leaving me bleeding from several wounds and exhausted.

I stumbled forwards, before feeling blackness cloud at my vision as my chest felt like someone had slid a blade into it, falling forwards. I groaned, being forced to crawl and pull myself forwards just to hit the ventilation reset, breathing slowly and trying to maintain consciousness as cool, fresh air began to pump into the room. I got a few breaths before slowly the pain receded, allowing me to climb back to my feet. I had nearly died from that one…

Slowly I began patching myself up, wrapping bandages around my bleeding sides and patching my cheek… Before looking back at the cameras.

Springtrap was a mere few rooms away from me now… And he was staring into the camera. "Color me impressed, Mr. Redding. I thought that last fight would be the end of you. Ah well… I must admit that I'm pleased to be wrong; after all, it means I can save the pleasure of ending you for myself to enjoy… Your final moments are coming, Mr. Redding. Prepare for your last battle."

I grit my teeth and punched the screen in frustration, before slowly rising. My shotgun was lost, no idea where it went. I was out of magnum ammo, so I dropped both pistols on the security desk. I checked my machete blades over; both were dulled, covered in a bit of my own blood. No matter, I tossed them on the desk as well and drew my twin batons.

I looked them over, smiling grimly to myself. How fitting… The weapons I used to start this being the ones I'll use to finish it. I'd been able to fight Bonnie, Chica, Foxy and Freddy with just these tools, I think I can use them once more to finish Springtrap off. I tossed my ragged coat to the side, preparing the batons as I finished patching myself up.

I checked my pockets; my surprises were still ready, waiting for me to activate them when it came time to bring the fight to an end. Grimly, I stared out the window, waiting for Springtrap to approach.

It's time to finish this nightmare. Whether I live or not, he's not leaving here alive.

* * *

Like I said. I apologize if this casts too much darkness over your holiday, but this chapter was important to keep emotional and painful. It's Alex facing off against a nightmare version of his lost love, after all.

Read and review, folks. Next chapter is the final battle.


	7. Chapter 6: Showdown in Flames of Memory

Wow... Been a while, huh? I'm sorry it took so long to get this done, guys. I thought I'd have more time over last holiday break. As you can figure, that didn't happen... Plus I just kinda fell off the writing wagon: I lost my mood, my interest in it for a while.

But I never forgot, you know? Even though I took ages, and even though I found it hard to get the motivation back up, I knew I couldn't just leave this story incomplete forever. I wasn't going to do that to you guys.

And hey, I've got a couple weeks of peace and quiet. I've finally graduated college, with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. Got a few job applications out, but no calls just yet. So I figured, why not take advantage of the time by doing some writing?

So here it is, the final official chapter of Five Nights at Freddy's 3: One Last Tear. I hope it was worth the wait.

* * *

I stood there in the security office, batons in hand, staring out of the window in front of my desk. The darkness seemed to be closing in, embracing me… Smothering me. I shook my head, taking a breath and slowly letting it out. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash – Balloon Boy, with Faz's face once more. I ignored it, until he began to speak to me.

" **A-Alex… You can't win...** " I turned away. No more ghosts of the past… And as I turned, I found myself facing Mangle and Marionette. " **You've fought for so long, Alex… Why not let it go…"** I half-heartedly swung a baton at them, and they disappeared into black clouds of smoke… I started feeling weary, tired. Far more tired than I'd ever felt… I shook my head a bit. It was natural for me to be this worn out – I'd just finished fighting these ghosts off… I stumbled slightly as I stepped out into the hallway, trying to change my view for a moment… And saw Chica, staring at me with that haunted gaze. " **We're all gone, Alex… Fighting won't bring us back…"** I turned away again, facing towards the exit – and looking straight into Freddy's eyes. " **Just walk away, Alex… Live your life…** " He beckoned me towards the door. I knew it was locked and sealed, but it seemed to… Open. And standing there, next to my beat up old truck, was Foxy. She smiled at me, eyes glowing a bright white as she spoke.

" **Alex… You've fought so long, and so hard. You've done nothing but good… For all of us.** " She slowly stepped towards me, and I subconsciously took a step towards her. " **Please… Come with me. Be with me… With all of us…** " Slowly, they all stepped out again from behind my truck, lining up.

Balloon Boy, with Faz's face – a face that I'd thought of as a friend, and that the band had seen as a father figure to us all.

Marionette and Mangle – the new band, friends found in an unlikely place, that I was proud to have inspired to make some good of the world.

Chica – the master chef, a girl that just wanted to be happy and creative in the kitchen.

Freddy, holding Bonnie – a loving couple that had faced the world together, side by side.

Foxy… My Foxy. She spoke once more. " **Come to us, Alex… It's time to go home…** "

Slowly, I stepped towards the door. I was still clutching my batons as I did so, beginning to head towards the exit…

Then I glanced down. Saw a gleam in the doorway. I stopped, my foot inches from hitting it… And crouched down. It was a tripwire. " **Alex… What's the delay? Come now, let's go home.** " Foxy, beckoning me further… And as I traced the wire, I realized why.

The tripwire led to a makeshift pipebomb, settled roughly at head level with me. One final trap, one last trick to try and end my fighting. Slowly I looked up at the band, and gave them a sad smile. "Sorry guys… But I've got some unfinished business left."

I turned away from the door.

And they SCREAMED.

I fell forwards, gritting my teeth as their banshee wail screeched out, diving deep into my ears and haunting me to the core. " **WHY MUST YOU FIGHT?!** " They screamed out at me, black smoke surrounding me as they snapped their teeth, gnashing and crying out inches from me. In the maelstrom, I could make out their faces – burnt, desiccated, and with rage and hatred burning in their eyes. " **ALL WE WANT IS TO BRING YOU WITH US, ALEX!** " I grit my teeth, memories flashing through my head.

 _I was back in Faz's old house, examining it. I knew what had happened, and yet for some reason I was still exploring, still hunting around once more… Trying to see if there was any clue, any piece of the puzzle that I'd missed. I wandered along, heading up to his room – I remembered that the RAT folder was in there, and I opened the closet –_

 _Instead of the box on his shelf, Faz was hanging there. It looked like suicide, and clutched in his arms was a small plush of Balloon Boy. I staggered backwards, tripping and falling on the floor as I looked up at his hanging body. Balloon Boy gazed up at me, black eyes betraying hatred and rage. "_ _ **You… Did… This…**_ _" He whispered, and Faz's eyes opened – dead eyes on a hanged man, staring through me. "_ _ **You… Killed… Me…**_ _"_

 _I shook my head, gritting my teeth and squeezing my eyes shut before climbing back to my feet. When I opened them again, I was with the band, walking along the sidewalk towards Chica's restaurant._

 _I knew what was about to happen, so I took off running. Maybe if I was just fast enough, I could –_

 _And then the building blew up, ruins falling all around me as ash rained down, and I was alone. The band was nowhere in sight, just the burnt remains of Chica – her costume half falling off of her endoskeleton – raising a wing to point at me. "_ _ **You weren't fast enough, Alex… You were never fast enough…**_ _"_

 _I stumbled backwards, pushing through a door into another building, just in time to turn around – it was a hospital. Bonnie was laying in the bed, her suit pale and faded as her eyes dimmed. Freddy was clutching her paw, sitting by her side. In unison, they gazed up at me. "Guys… I'm so sorry…" Bonnie went limp, her hard drive finally dying. Freddy did likewise, sitting there – just empty suits… Before speaking to me again. "_ _ **You weren't smart enough, Alex… You didn't figure it out. What could it have been, besides a virus? Maybe if you were smarter, we'd still be alive…**_ _" I shook my head, my heart racing as I felt darkness closing in around me, fogging my mind as I stumbled back out the door –_

 _And found myself at the charity event, my heart racing as I watched Foxy walking towards the car. I was surrounded by clawing hands and muttering voices, flashes of light as cameras went off. I tried to push through the crowd, tried to shout out to Foxy, but to no avail – I was being pressed in on all sides, dozens of hands grasping for me as I saw Foxy sit in the car, looking at me with a sad stare as she spoke. Over the din of reporters and paparazzi, I could hear her loud and clear. "_ _ **You weren't strong enough, Alex… You couldn't tell them no, couldn't tell them to go away and leave you be. You were caught in their web, and you didn't break free…**_ _" And then the car exploded, the blast knocking me back once more._

 _I felt myself falling, falling… Deeper into a black hole, a dark expanse that I knew I would never climb out of. Their voices all cried out to me, jeering at me, mocking me. "_ _ **Never fast enough… Never smart enough… Never strong enough! You failed all of us, Alex...**_ _" And finally, another voice spoke up, and I felt something grabbing at my shirt, pulling me back out of that blackness._

 _A mechanical voice, filled with malice and hatred, cackling with sadistic glee. I found myself staring into glowing white eyes bulging out of a rotted, worn out Fazbear Entertainment costume._

"And it's finally time for you to be punished!" Springtrap cackled, raising an arm back in what I knew would be a devastating blow… And suddenly, everything faded back into view. I was back in Fazbear's Fright, and Springtrap had one hand grabbing my collar and the other about to punch my skull in. Thinking quickly, I punched him square in the middle, feeling the fleshy corpse that he used as an endoskeleton giving way.

This had the requested effect as Springtrap dropped me, giving me a moment to get back to my feet – albeit dazed and confused by what had just happened. He stood to his full height after a moment, staring into my eyes. "Consider me surprised once more, Mr. Redding… I thought that if nothing else, that last attack would be the end for you. Again, you impress me with your resilience." He sighed, shaking his head before cackling. "At least this gives me the pleasure of being able to rip you limb from limb myself!" With that, he charged towards me… And I quickly sidestepped, letting him charge out the Exit door – triggering his pipebomb.

As it went off, I dove for cover, feeling a few of the fragments of hot metal burying themselves into my back and sides. He was much worse for wear, however – his ears were completely blown off, and half of the already-rotted mask had simply dissolved, revealing the red skull within, caught in a permanent howl of anguish.

"Sorry, Springy. Afraid you're not getting me that easily." Even as I spoke and grinned at him, I winced; I was hurting, really badly. I was bleeding from several locations, and the newly-embedded chunks of shrapnel that were stuck in me weren't helping. I was worn out, and felt my heart pounding in my chest like it was about to explode.

And yet I was still standing, still facing him, still grasping my batons with a death grip. He slowly turned to me, and I growled softly. "You kill my friends; ruin the life that I managed to build… You lure me here, and you use the memories of the family I had against me…" I growled even more, flicking my wrists and extending the batons once again. "You mock me, torment me, and try to kill me repeatedly." I shake my head as I stood, ready to fight.

Springtrap sighed, squaring off with me and staring through me. "Alex… You've ruined my plans far too many times. You must be removed if I am to reveal the Joy of Creation to the masses. You cannot stop me, Mr. Redding… You've tried twice in the past, and both times you have merely set me back. What makes you think you'll be able to defeat me this time?" With that, he charged.

I stood, holding my ground… And met his charge with a quick hip-toss that sent him reeling into the wall. I charged after him, bringing both batons down on his midsection, getting a solid 'OOF' out of him as they impacted. I followed it up with a few curb-stomps, feeling bones snapping as I brought my foot down on his hand and arm. He grabbed my foot mid-stomp, pulling and tripping me back, sending me falling. I cried out in pain as I landed on my back, feeling the shrapnel pushing a bit further into my body. With a growl, I got to my feet just in time to meet a football tackle to my midsection. Springtrap followed it up with a few punches to my face and chest, before I was able to kick him off and bring the handle of my baton down on his forehead.

He growled, staring back at me. "You're not leaving this place alive!" He charged, teeth bared as he attempted to bite me. I stuck a baton into his jaw, forcing it to stay open before wrenching it down, dislocating his jaw. This got a scream of pain and anger from him as he threw me back against the wall, following it up with a solid kick to my chest. I felt the CRACK as my ribs took the hit, feeling my breathing growing a bit more ragged as I tried to catch my breath from that impact. He didn't give me the chance, throwing me through the glass back into the security office, cutting up my face and hands once again.

I felt the blood running down my cheek from a cut that the glass had left me, before staggering back up to my feet just in time to see him charge around the corner and head towards me, fist reared back. I stepped out of the way, putting my hand to the back of his head as I slammed him into the wall, hearing another crack as the tiles on it shattered from the impact. I staggered backwards a few steps, before bringing both batons down onto his shoulders just as he turned around, following it up with a rising knee to his dislocated jaw that laid him out flat against the wall. I turned, getting ready to deliver a kick to his head –

And then my heart felt like it was about to explode. I knew what it was – I'd overexerted myself, and now I was paying the price as I fell, trying to catch my breath and ease my heart rate as I felt blackness starting to cloud my vision… I blacked out briefly; having to squeeze my eyes shut and slowly open them a few times.

The first time I reopened my eyes, I saw Springtrap looking at me.

The second time, he was on his feet.

The third time, he was standing over me. Laughing.

I felt a pain in my chest as he kicked at my cracked ribs, groaning and gasping for breath. He laughed again, shaking his head for a moment. "Alex, Alex, Alex… You see, even with all the damage you've done to me, I still stand…" He twitched. It was subtle, but it was there… And I heard his voice distorting.

I knew I had one shot at this, taking a ragged, painful breath as I looked up at Springtrap. He was frozen, confused… And I spoke. "F-Fritz…" I coughed, spitting out something that tasted like copper. "Fritz… Is it you…?" Springtrap twitched again, shaking his head. "I know it's you… Fritz Smith…"

He twitched again, staggering backwards. "N-no… NO! What happened to me?! I shouldn't be here, shouldn't be in this… THIS…" He gasped, slamming his head against the wall. "G-GET AWAY FROM ME! I'm sorry I killed you!" He gasped and cried out, shaking his head. "I-I'm in the suit! You can't see me! It's just y-y-your o-old pal, Springy!" He laughed slightly, twitching madly. "O-Oh god, it hurts… It hurts, it HURTS! GET ME OUT OF HE-" With one last bash of his head against the wall, the voice of Fritz Smith ended and Springtrap fell forwards, slumping against the wall.

I knew I didn't have much time. Whatever chance I'd just bought with that maneuver, I needed to make the best of it. I fished one of my tricks from my pocket – a remote detonator. Slowly I staggered back to my feet, stumbling out into the hallway and down the many halls of the building. I heard Springtrap starting to stomp his way after me, stumbling slightly as well as he gave chase.

Finally, I made it. The room with the Foxy head lamp… And, if I was looking at this right… Yes. I found a hatch in the ground, leading down to a secret basement. A safe room. I had to get down there…

And just then, Springtrap rounded the corner and cackled at me. "E-E-Excellent, trick, M-Mr. Redding! Turning the v-v-voice of the Legion after me…" He shook his head, his distorted voice finally sliding back into focus. "Though I'm afraid justice has been done, except in a more… Brutal way." He laughed darkly. "The last remnants of Fritz Smith have been deleted, lost to whatever afterlife awaits him. A pity, really… I was so enjoying his torment." He seemed to shrug, as if casual about what he had just done. "But, I cannot allow him to remain a risk in this final battle." He glanced down, seeing me scrabbling at the hatch and grinned. "Ah, so you've found my hideaway! I am impressed, Mr. Redding… However, I don't think you have any more tricks up your sleeve. It's time to end this charade." I staggered to my feet, swinging one of my batons at him.

He ducked, grabbing the arm that was swinging and – with a quick motion – cleanly broke it. I let out a scream of pain as I felt and heard the SNAP as my forearm gave way, before he tossed me against a wall. "Any last words, Mr. Redding?" He grinned, sharp teeth looking hungry for blood… And I raised the detonator.

"Yeah, a few. Hasta la vista, baby!" With that, I pressed the detonator button –

And with a loud ROAR, the firebombs I'd placed around the building went off in a series of massive fireballs, shaking the foundations of the building. It spread quickly, and I felt the heat and flame starting to work its way along the outsides, burning their way in towards where we were standing. Springtrap looked around in shock, eyes wide. I laughed softly. "Y'see…" I coughed, spat out a mouthful of crimson. "I didn't expect to walk out of this one…" He stared at me, hatred in his eyes. "All I expected… Was to bring you down with me…"

He stared, staggering back a bit. "No… You can't… You didn't..!"

I laughed and nodded, coughing up a bit more blood. "This place is coming down, Springtrap… And we're burning up with it!"

With that, I slowly got to my feet, staggering towards him. Every inch of my body burned with pain, and I felt the heat building as the flames worked their way towards us… I stumbled forwards in a sloppy swing, and he dodged it. I went down on my knees to catch my breath –

I felt like a massive explosive charge had gone off right next to my ear, picking me up and carrying me a few hundred feet and dropping me in a pile of razor wire and broken glass… An inferno rising around me, and I couldn't see the exit – I couldn't see ANYTHING except stars, stars that were glowing much brighter than normal…

I blinked a few times, feeling a massive throbbing in my skull and a ringing in my ears as I looked up. Springtrap had turned away, and was crouching on the floor. He'd mule-kicked me in the head, and by the way the world was spinning and swimming around me, it had done a number on the wet hunk of mucus between my ears. I staggered, stumbling over my own two feet as I tried to get up… And failed miserably. I sighed, realizing that it was over anyway – I'd won. The building was burning, and I was feeling myself slowly sinking down, feeling all too comfortable and warm…

Then I heard Springtrap speaking once more. "…Get the hatch open…" I blinked, my mind stirring a bit more, despite its damaged state. "…Hide in the safe room…" I realized what was about to happen. Springtrap was trying to get the door into the safety of the basement open – he was going to hide down there… Wait.

No, he wasn't going to _hide_ down there. He was going to abandon his suit to the flames and lose himself among the internet once more. If he got on there, I would never have a chance to stop him…

Slowly I staggered to my feet. I had one more surprise for him, and fishing around in my pocket my fingers clasped around it. He had begun descending into the basement, leaving the hatch open as he went down. With pain radiating through every inch of my body, and the flames of the burning building starting to move into the room, I staggered and fell down the ladder, landing and feeling the wind leave me as I hit the floor of the basement.

Springtrap looked up, shaking his head a bit. "Again, your persistence surprises me, Mr. Redding…" The basement was fairly barren. Just an old computer, hooked up to power and a network cable, with a USB link that he was currently unwinding and moving around towards the back of his head. He stopped, leaving the hatch on his skull open, back still turned to me. I caught a glimpse of his brain, with a few different ports to plug into artificially spliced into the wetware. "I suppose even with as badly injured as you are, I should make sure you do not survive this…" With that he stood, grabbing me by the shirt and lifting me, climbing the ladder back to the main floor once more before holding me up. "Perhaps if I throw you to the flames, it will encourage you to give up… After all, Mr. Redding." He cackled softly. "You've lost. I have nobody else I have to worry about – not the police, not the military, not even the band of plastic playthings that you 'saved' from our last altercation. Nothing can stop me, and I fear no force!" He cackled with glee and malice. "So, I ask again… Any last words?"

I looked up, coughing up a bit more blood as I grasped what was in my pocket once more, flicking my thumb over it. It was a USB flash drive, one that I'd loaded with a very special program. "Springtrap… I-it's not…" I cough up more blood, before grinning. "It's not them you have to fear… Or the military, or anyone else…" I stared straight into his eyes.

"…It's me…"

With that, I jammed the flash drive into the port on his brain. His eyes widened, and he started to twitch erratically, grabbing at it futilely as he dropped me back to the ground. "Wh-wha-wa…" He shook his head. "Wh-what did you DO?!" His motions were getting more and more twitchy and erratic.

I grinned at him, blood leaking from a split lip. "You left something… With Bonnie… When she died." I grinned a bit. "I had a friend… Fix it up a bit… Make it better… Faster." I remembered what I'd done – a hacker friend of mine owed me a favor, so I asked him to spice up the copy of the virus that killed Bonnie. It worked much faster now, and was much more aggressive… As well as having the ability to transmit over any form of wireless signal. Plug it into a USB port, and whatever it targeted was as good as dead within minutes. "I figured I'd… Return it…"

I just grinned up at him as he gazed down, his eyes burning with an emotion that I wasn't sure he'd ever felt in this intensity before. Pure, unadulterated fear.

I laughed softly. "A final… Screw-you…" I gasped, coughing up more blood as he staggered. "I told you… I'm taking you… With me…" He screamed, the sound of his voice distorting with static as more and more of his data was corrupted and destroyed, deleting massive portions of his AI every second. He scrambled to pull the USB stick back out, but to no avail. As he flailed, he tripped over his own feet… And fell directly into the inferno spreading in the building.

The flames immediately started incinerating the rotted, dried out, worn suit, licking at it and burning away pieces of it with every second. I heard one final scream – one final, chilling scream – and then… Nothing. Springtrap went limp, completely lifeless.

I had won. His AI had been completely wiped, and any remaining pieces of his code would be deleted – even if he had any backups, that virus would spread rapidly and search-and-destroy any pieces of him that could have been left behind.

I rested my head against the wall, no longer even feeling the heat as the flames moved closer to me. I looked up at the Foxy head lamp… And smiled. Instead of a static decoration, I saw Foxy. My Foxy. She had her paw out, beckoning me to come with her…

And this time, I nodded, letting my eyes close once again as I fell into the abyss, ready for whatever may await me in whatever life was after mine.

* * *

Expect the epilogue by the weekend. Remember, we still have one more FNAF game to get through.

And before you ask - yes, I've seen the Sister Location stuff. No, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do for it just yet. Gonna let the game come out and then make a decision. I might not even write anything for it, not sure yet. Depends on how I feel when I finish FNAF 4's story.

Read and review, all... And...

Thank you to those of you who do read this, for sticking with me despite my absence.


	8. Epilogue: The End Has Not Been Written

...Not exactly the next weekend, is it? Sorry about yet another delay. Real Life decided to get in the way and make a pest of itself. Between looking for a job and constantly being unsuccessful (up until recently, actually), to moving, to my computer going down (this is written on my old school laptop)... Things have been interesting in life lately. I hope this epilogue is at least up to snuff, it was time I got it out and got it to all of you.

Here's hoping it was worth the wait, folks. I apologize if it wasn't.

* * *

City Hospital, Intensive Care Unit.

POV: Captain Joseph Adams

I sat in the chair next to the hospital bed, hearing the rhythmic beeping of the heart rate monitor going off in its slow, steady pace. Every beep, a sign that even though the individual in the bed had been through a lot, he was still hanging on – a miracle, there was no other real word to describe it. It was a miracle that he was alive at all.

I looked at my closest friend, Alex Redding, as he lay in the bed, bandaged heavily. He looked almost… Peaceful. Fitting, really – the man was asleep… in a way.

When Alex had hung up on me, I'd started putting some plans of my own in order. I'd given orders for several of the officers on duty that night to keep an eye on Fazbear's Fright – the explanation I'd given was that it was threatened by some of the local vandals and scumbags in the town, people that had been protesting AI since day one. They hadn't questioned it – at least that was one good thing about them being there, it made a convenient reason for when I had strange orders to give out. They were deployed to watch over the place shortly after Alex hung up, with orders to call me if anything strange happened.

Later into the night I got a call – apparently they'd seen Alex, looking like he'd been put through the grinder. They'd seen him starting to step out… Then coming back in, before staggering and crying out in pain. That was when they called in the cavalry… And a moment later, they saw what they could only describe as a Fazbear animatronic that had lost a fight with a rock crusher charge out – and straight into a pipebomb. They relayed all of this to me and I decided enough was enough, rushing everyone I could out – police, fire, and EMT were all ordered to the scene.

And then the firebombs detonated and the place turned into an inferno.

Firemen rushed in to try to save Alex – on their way they'd stumbled across the burning, charred remains of one mangled up animatronic… And the endoskeleton looked like a human body.

That had taken some work to explain, especially when I had no idea myself what had happened in there. They'd managed to save Alex, though – save him and pull him into the ambulance, where he was rushed here.

He was in critical condition, the medics explained – numerous second and third degree burns. Dislocated shoulder. Left forearm is absolutely wrecked, as was the right calf. Several broken ribs, possibly others just cracked or bruised. Concussion – no idea how bad. Numerous lacerations and internal injuries. Blood loss. Heart damage – potentially would have been fatal. And to make things even better, he was currently in a coma.

It was a miracle he was even alive. Every doctor had said the same thing when he was brought in… Roughly five weeks ago. He had been out the entire time, and the doctors were very honest – they didn't know if he would ever wake up.

I couldn't worry about him forever, so I threw myself into the investigation proper. Alex was the primary suspect in an arson case, so now it was up to me to figure out what happened. A search of his house had turned up massive folders full of documents, all dissecting what had happened to the Fazbear band, possible leads on what had happened to Faz himself, and a massive folder all devoted to Fazbear's Fright. It had initially looked like he had been planning this as a form of revenge for what had happened to the band… Then we examined the folders. We started piecing things together, the same way Alex always had been able to at such a rapid rate.

And then the investigation of the fire turned up even more documentation. Sure enough, the charred remains were human – the victim of an old model of Fazbear suit gone wrong. DNA testing had eventually turned out that the DNA belonged to Fritz Smith – a man that had been reported missing several months prior. The Toy band came forward when this developed, saying that they had reason to believe that Fritz had been the original killer back in the original days of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. With nothing to the contrary, we had dropped the investigation of his death… Especially after finding the remnants of a USB drive that, after a bit of recovery analysis, had a copy of the virus that had killed Bonnie on it. A modified copy, coded for patterns that matched what was reported to be Golden Freddy's AI.

These things combined to exonerate Alex of all charges, claiming circumstances did not suggest him to be guilty of any crime.

At that point, all I really had left to do was to sit around and wait. The chief had decided not to assign me any major cases until the dust had settled and Alex either woke up or… Anyway, I mostly spent my time sitting with him in the hospital room as well as tending to his affairs at home.

I sighed as I got to my feet, deciding to leave and head home for the day. On my way out, a nurse came up and stopped me. "Excuse me, are you Officer Adams?" I nodded. She turned, handing me a moderate sized box, wrapped like a present. "This was left at the front desk, addressed to you, sir." I nodded again, taking it from her. She smiled, before heading off.

I decided that now wasn't the time to look into this, so I headed out to my car, threw the box in the passenger seat, and headed for home. My mind idly traced over, wondering what it could be…

I got home, opened up a drink, and started opening the package. I'd set it on my table, next to the odd folder I'd found in Alex's house. It didn't seem to match any of the other information I'd gathered regarding his activities – rather, it was labeled R.A.T. and had references to Candy's Burgers and Fries, a Fazbear competitor that the Toy Band had looked into for AI research. All the information they got was black-bagged and above my paygrade, so I didn't pay much attention to it.

I opened the box up, flipping the lid off… And there were two things inside it. First, was a letter.

 _My Dear Mr. Adams,_

 _I apologize that I was unable to deliver this parcel to you in person – in fact, I apologize that I was unable to deliver it to our mutual friend, Mr. Redding, at all. Circumstances prevented me from making my way there physically in order to do so, and I left this package with you at great personal risk._

 _I have no doubt that Mr. Redding 'clued you in' on the letter I left and the situation regarding my sudden disappearance, so I will not attempt to waste your time by retreading old ground – after all, the current situation requires speed to handle properly._

 _I am sure that you believe with the complete and permanent death of our mutual adversary, my safety is ensured. I regret to say that it is not. In fact, with Alex no longer capable of fighting I have reason to believe that my life – and possibly yours, and Alex's – are in even greater jeopardy._

 _I wish Alex was able to explain all of this to you, but suffice to say that there is another adversary that we must face. I learned of his existence after the ill-fated attempt by the Toy Band to locate other potential AI via the location known as Candy's. He is a brutal, bloodthirsty opponent, and will stop at nothing to ensure the demise of any who may know of his existence._

 _Mr. Adams, I know that I am putting you at great risk by bringing you knowledge of this opponent's existence, however believe me when I tell you there is a reason. You see, it is possible that the original band has backups of their entire AI and sentience – including much of the data that they gathered in the time after their 'awakening'. It is just a matter of where this data is located._

 _I believe that Candy's holds the key to this. However, it is also the lair of this new opponent, so I am afraid that I am unable to investigate myself. I will have to leave that to you._

 _One last thing, Mr. Adams – take heart. Having known Mr. Redding personally, I sincerely believe that he will survive this. The end of his story has not yet been written._

 _I thank you again._

 _Yours,_

 _Frederick Faz._

I read and re-read the letter, eyes widening as I realized the implications it had. AI backups… And a new enemy… And Candy's. I looked at the R.A.T. folder again – it had to be the connection, I just had to work it out.

There was one last thing in the box. I pulled it out, and my eyes widened… It was Freddy Fazbear's hat. There was no mistaking its design, the dings and marks in it, or any of the many scratches it had accumulated. I turned it over in my hands, and a note slipped from within.

" _We hope you're ready for an encore!"_ It was 'signed' with what looked like a large pawprint.

I turned the hat over in my hand again, before putting it on my head. Something about it just… felt right. Taking the R.A.T. folder, I headed to my office to give it a closer examination.

It was a long shot, for sure – this was all news to me, and for all I knew it could be some twisted prank. But Alex wasn't the only one with instincts, and mine all told me the same thing.

Faz was right. The end hasn't been written, yet…

* * *

And Adams is right. The end isn't written - however, the close of this particular portion of Alex Redding's story has arrived upon us all. We do have a few clues and pointers towards what may come next, though... After all, with Candy's in the mix things could get interesting - fast.

Once more, I sincerely apologize for all of the delays in getting this chapter out, and I hope that it's at least worth the time that you all spent waiting for me to get around to it. I'll admit that it probably doesn't have much polish, but I hope it does the job of getting you interested in what I'll do for FNAF 4.

As for when I'll work on 4's story... Don't expect much until after Sister Location is released. I still need to wait for replacement parts for my main computer, and I'm going to be starting work, so it may take a while.

Also, I'd like to give you all a little heads-up; I will be entering this November's National Novel Writing Month, so if it takes until mid-late September/October for SL to be released, then I may not work on FNAF 4's story until after NaNoWriMo concludes. More details will be released later, possibly on either my Twitter or right here on my profile.

Probably I might end up working better with a hard deadline instead of one I set myself. Who knows?

Anyway, that's enough rambling from me. Thank you all for reading and sticking with me through this adventure, folks - it's hard to imagine that I started writing... Two years ago? Not sure of the exact dates. It's been a wild ride, and I'm looking forward to more.

Read and review, and I'll see you again either in FNAF 4 or in whatever I end up writing for NaNoWriMo!

-Freelancer Josiah


End file.
